Kindness of God

Sermon Style Sheet

Write that down in your formation Journal

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Sermon Text

Sermon Text: Scripture

Call to Worship

Psalm 95:1–2 CSB

1 Come, let’s shout joyfully to the Lord, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let’s enter his presence with thanksgiving; let’s shout triumphantly to him in song.

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Passage:

Formation Journal Page Number: 11:13-11:59 1:12-1:55

John 7:53–8:11 CSB

53 Then each one went to his house. 1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he went to the temple again, and all the people were coming to him. He sat down and began to teach them. 3 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center. 4 “Teacher,” they said to him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. 5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 They asked this to trap him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger. 7 When they persisted in questioning him, he stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. 9 When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only he was left, with the woman in the center. 10 When Jesus stood up, he said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”

Opening Illustration:

Test

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Getting into the Sermon

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{Jacob DeShazer Photo}

{Guards Photo}

[With Christ there’s no limit on who you will LOVE]

background of the passage - why its in the parenthesis

probably contains one of the most often misquoted verses in the bible.

So let’s look at it

John 7:53–8:6 CSB

53 Then each one went to his house. 1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he went to the temple again, and all the people were coming to him. He sat down and began to teach them. 3 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center. 4 “Teacher,” they said to him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. 5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 They asked this to trap him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger.

Here’s what’s happening there were the religious leaders who decided to trap Jesus. Remember they are trying to destroy Jesus partially because he wouldn’t do what they wanted.

They were filled with selfish ambition. They wanted themselves to be important so they have to bring Jesus down.

So they hatch this plot.

Here’s what they were hoping - the law of moses said one thing but the romans were saying another.

So they find this lady, and decide to destroy her in order to try to destroy Jesus.

[With selfish ambition there’s no limit on who you will HURT.]

The world is filled with examples of people who were thrown to the wolves for the sake of people’s ambition.

Politics- business

Facebook -

So they don’t care here either. They will role over anyone to try to destroy Jesus so that they can be on top.

So they take the woman and bring her before Jesus

But we see something really weird here. It seems like they were so intent on trapping Jesus that they chose this woman and just decided to destroy her publicly.

Now look at this, they drag the woman there but not the man. The law doesn’t

[No one is exempt from the law]

This is premediated, they want to set up Jesus but they need a woman to do it. So where did they find a woman at just the right time, caught in the very act? Not that she had committed adultery in the past or that she was flirty with someone on facebook, like they caught her in the bed, dragged her out and to the temple and then threw her in front of Jesus.

Think about what that probably means. There’s speculation here, but let’s run through the scenarios.

I mean, they might have known of an ongoing affair and jumped in and grabbed her leaving the man. But why would they leave her? What would she have felt when they drag her away and they leave him, he doesn’t do anything to help her.

They decide they need a women in adultery, so what did they do? Perhaps someone wooed the woman for this purpose. Maybe he pursued her and wooed her.

Maybe one of the guys had a mistress he wanted to get rid of .

And at the very moment, these guys jump in, at first there would be confusion, but then it would be clear. She’s cooked. It was a setup. The love she thought she had was a lie.

And what about her husband? Her marriage is over. She will be forever shamed. At first, she probably doesn’t think about the fact that she could be stoned, but then they start talking about the law and it hits her, she may die today, like this. right here. Her final act. in front of everyone disgraced.

What was going through her mind during this? She’s shoved out there, dishevled, brused from the rough handling and with little to no clothes.

Could you imagine the overwhelming fear, the overwelming shame, the overwelming hoplessness. She had just thrown everything in her life away for a guy who didn’t love her enough to be thrown down next to her.

I want you to enter into her emotions because she is you. She is me. That’s part of the story. It’s not look at what these bad evil people did. Look she deserved death but I’m not that bad.

Romans says that the wages of sin is death. We all have done sins that deserve far more than just the death penalty. Look, if that was it, and then you go to heave, no problem.

Here’s what we know about this woman, she was probably married or engaged and she cheated on that man. She wronged him. The man (whose absent) probably had a wife and she wronged that woman. This is bad. But that’s all we know about her. She could be mother theresa who had a first time affair and the rest of her life could have been amazing.

Or maybe she was a serial adulterer, who kicked small puppies. We don’t know. We aren’t given more information about her.

But you know what you do know. You know your sins. You know what you’ve done. You know the thoughts and evil intentions. You know the blasphemies and lusts and slander and gossip.

Romans Wages of sin

When I was growing up in church I had this very specific image of the final judgement. I don’t know if someone told me, like I heard it in a teaching, or if this was just little tony’s imagination.

But I used to believe that during the judgement, there would be a giant screen and all my sins would be displayed on that screen and everyone would see it. They would all be watching as my life, my thoughts were on display.

Now I don’t believe that now, that’s what I believed as a kid. And as a 10 year old, I lived in fear of that screen. What could I have done that was so bad as a 10 year old? I was afraid.

I wouldn’t want that to happen to me now, either. I know my sin. I know the evil I’ve caused in this world. I don’t want that revealed. Neither would you. You know one sin this woman did, you know the lifetime of sin you’ve done. You know the evil you’ve added.

So it’s good to imagine her, because what you should imagine is that this is you. Put yourself in the story. You are her.

THE PHARASEE’S DON’T CARE WHO THEY DESTROY - PUT HER AWAY QUIETLY BECAuSE HE WAS - BECASUE WITH SELF PROMOTION THERE’S NO LIMIT TO WHO YOU WILL HURT.

How would you feel, standing there.

So they asked a question: whose law should we follow

John 8:6–8 CSB

6 They asked this to trap him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger. 7 When they persisted in questioning him, he stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he stooped down again and continued writing on the ground.

So how does Jesus respond. Remember, imagine its you and you are watching him. What is he going to do.

[Love doesn’t BOW to the mob]

He bends down and he starts to write. So many people speculate about what he wrote. I think there are a few possibiltieis

Maybe he wrote the 10 commandments and they saw their sin.

Maybe, this is the one that would be more fun for us, maybe he started writing names. Maybe he wrote the name of the man whose absent and they think “he knows about the set up!”

Maybe he wrote the names of their misstresses, or their sins.

at any rate, they knew they were beat. They turned and walked away and left her there.

He is calmly taking control of the situation

Now we do need to address what Jesus actually said. Becuase this is probably the most misapplied quote in the scripture.

Here’s what happens in our culture, in our culture, you could go to someone in a serious sin and say, he brother, you need to stop that and they say “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone! You have sin so you can’t judge me.”

[God’s love doesn’t mean APPROVAL of sin]

But it’s not the woman who says it, it is Jesus. Jesus is actually choosing to side with the mosiac law. He says that her sins are so bad that they deserve death. That’s what that means. He isn’t using “casting stones” as a metaphor, he is talking about actual, physical, rocks. And he gives them permission to do it.

You can cast stones, you can bring the judgement. Under one condition. The condition that you don’t have sins. That was the catch.

He is loving them by showing their sins. I’m sure there are some who think “Jesus was right there- why did I walk away

He is exposing them

Look, the mercy of jesus, his love, isn’t illustrated in verse 7, it’s in verse 11

John 8:9–11 CSB

9 When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only he was left, with the woman in the center. 10 When Jesus stood up, he said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”

Imagine she had to be afraid, she had to be crying, what an emotional rollercoaster this woman has just been on!

They needed witnesses, where are the witnesses?

Verse 11 she says, there aren’t any. They left. She’s starting to understand. She’s starting to see what’s happened.

Then we get to Jesus’s real life giving words, “Neither do I condemn you”.

Do you believe that about yourself. Do you hear Jesus’ words spoken over you. I mean, just when I was talking about the screen, you were probably thinking, oh no, I wouldn’t want that to be made public. If they only knew, nobody would love me. Maybe you felt like I did as a 10 year old, you feel a bit of panic over your sins.

Do you walk around with the thought that Jesus frowns on you. That God is annoyed. That he is just waiting to bring down the judgement.

If you imagine a kid who interrupts their dad, whose reading a newspaper.

Do you hear an internal dialoge that says “your stupid, your dirty, your ugly, you should be ashamed, you should be look at you!”

Hear the words of Jesus, “neither do I condemn you.” If you are in Christ, you can hear that and receive that. You aren’t condemened. That’s not you. You are something different.

here’s a question- who was more anti Jesus- the Pharisees or the woman?

They were all enemies of God. They had real guilt.

There’s a husband.

[God’s love doesn’t approve of our sin - it PAYS FOR our sins.]

There is no limit to God’s love - he even loves you!

And Jesus is the able to say it. He’s able to pardon her. Because he died for her.

Jesus says that they could cast stones, that she deserved the death penalty, but he is able to pardon her because the sin was paid for. The punishment was paid. It just wasn’t her who paid it.

It was Jesus.

Gospel

{ABC’s of Repentance}

So what happened here, what happened with her. She was brought into the temple in shame with self righteous people around her accusing her, she was guilty. Then they left in shame but she left in glory.

I think she got saved. I think that’s the meaning of the forgiveness. She’s saved. I think we will see her in heaven.

And you know what else I think, this is speculation, but this is what I think, I think she probably became a pretty powerful witness for Christ. That may be why this story lasts.

[People who are forgiven BIG, love BIG]

Maybe she lost everything and got divorced. But I bet she was part of the church. And you know what else, I think that when people really messed up, I bet they went to her and she told them about Jesus.

When another woman messes up and gets ashamed, I bet she went to them and whenever everyone else rejected them, I doubt she did. She’s been transformed by love.

We are called Mercy Hill Church because we want to highlight God’s mercy on us. We were that woman. We are that woman.

we have a decision to make as Christians-

[We can take people to THE LAW or to CHRIST]

Jacob DeShazer

{Mitsuo Fuchida}

You want to know Mitsuo Fuchida - Tora tora tora Bushido

people who were forgiving big are able to love big

That’s why I believe you can punch above your weight spiritually. That’s why I believe God wants to use you. That’s why I’m a christian optimist. Some people are always down on Christians, their this and there that.

You know what we are, we are people who have been touched by the Love and mercy of Christ, who forgave us for things that noone else would have.

That’s why I think it’s important to remember the story. It’s the type of story that makes you love Jesus more but also love sinners more.

That’s what Jesus is modeling here. Yeah your sin is a problem but we restore with gentleness understanding what Jesus was like

I think that’s the big deal, I think we do this well as a church actually, but I want to make sure we keep this so I want say it outloud. I think we are a church that likes people, that are kind, that doesn’t see people based on their past. And I think that’s powerful.

We live in a world of cancel and shame, so let’s be people like Jesus. People who love and actually likes people and let’s do that togehter.

Lord’s Supper:

On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 

Benediction:

The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD makes his face shine upon you and be gracious to you:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.